Tarawa weather in May

In May, Tarawa sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 143 mm of rain across 19.8 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tarawa's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tarawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 28°; 6th warmest
Overnight low: 27°; 9th coldest
Rainfall: 143 mm; 19.8 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 06 min; 6:23 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover: 57%; 6th clearest
Wind: 17 km/h; 6th windiest
Solar energy: 5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score: 4.8; out of 10

← April Tarawa year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Tarawa reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
Avg low (°C)	26	26	26	26	26	26	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	26
2	28	26
3	28	26
4	28	26
5	28	26
6	28	26
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	27
25	28	27
26	28	27
27	28	27
28	28	27
29	28	27
30	28	27
31	28	27

How May really feels in Tarawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Tarawa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	28° / 26°	211	17.8	11.9	5.1
Feb	28° / 26°	156	14.8	12	5.3
Mar	28° / 26°	221	20.5	12	4.9
Apr	28° / 26°	206	22	12	4.5
May	28° / 27°	143	19.8	12.1	4.8
Jun	28° / 27°	139	19.1	12.1	4.7
Jul	28° / 26°	134	18.8	12.1	4.9
Aug	28° / 27°	112	15.6	12	5.4
Sep	28° / 27°	89	13.9	12	5.5
Oct	28° / 27°	91	12.8	12	5.6
Nov	28° / 27°	93	12.9	11.9	5.5
Dec	28° / 27°	185	17.7	11.9	5.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	49	50	51	51	51	52	52	52	52	52	53	53	53	53	53	54	54	53	54	54	54	55	55	56	56	57	58	58	59	60	60
Cloudier (%)	51	50	49	49	49	48	48	48	48	48	47	47	47	47	47	46	46	47	46	46	46	45	45	44	44	43	42	42	41	40	40

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	49	51
2	50	50
3	51	49
4	51	49
5	51	49
6	52	48
7	52	48
8	52	48
9	52	48
10	52	48
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	53	47
16	54	46
17	54	46
18	53	47
19	54	46
20	54	46
21	54	46
22	55	45
23	55	45
24	56	44
25	56	44
26	57	43
27	58	42
28	58	42
29	59	41
30	60	40
31	60	40

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tarawa gets around 143 mm of rain over 19.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 64% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	74	73	72	72	71	70	69	68	67	66	65	64	64	63	63	63	62	62	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	60	60	60	60	60	59

	Rain chance (%)
1	74
2	73
3	72
4	72
5	71
6	70
7	69
8	68
9	67
10	66
11	65
12	64
13	64
14	63
15	63
16	63
17	62
18	62
19	62
20	62
21	61
22	61
23	61
24	61
25	61
26	60
27	60
28	60
29	60
30	60
31	59

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Oppressive (%)	32	32	32	32	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	47	48	49	50	50	51	51	51	51	52	52	52
Miserable (%)	68	68	68	68	68	67	66	65	64	63	62	60	59	58	57	56	55	54	53	53	52	51	50	50	49	49	49	49	48	48	48

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	32	68
5	32	68
6	33	67
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	36	64
10	37	63
11	38	62
12	40	60
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	43	57
16	44	56
17	45	55
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	48	52
22	49	51
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	51	49
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	52	48

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	18	light breeze
2	18	light breeze
3	18	light breeze
4	18	light breeze
5	18	light breeze
6	18	light breeze
7	18	light breeze
8	18	light breeze
9	17	light breeze
10	17	light breeze
11	17	light breeze
12	17	light breeze
13	17	light breeze
14	17	light breeze
15	16	light breeze
16	16	light breeze
17	16	light breeze
18	16	light breeze
19	16	light breeze
20	16	light breeze
21	16	light breeze
22	16	light breeze
23	16	light breeze
24	16	light breeze
25	16	light breeze
26	16	light breeze
27	16	light breeze
28	16	light breeze
29	16	light breeze
30	16	light breeze
31	16	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of May to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:28 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.0	12.0	12.0	12.0	12.0	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1
Sunrise (AM)	6:24	6:24	6:24	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23
Sunset (PM)	6:27	6:27	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:26	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:28

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.0	6:24	6:27
2	12.0	6:24	6:27
3	12.0	6:24	6:26
4	12.0	6:23	6:26
5	12.0	6:23	6:26
6	12.1	6:23	6:26
7	12.1	6:23	6:26
8	12.1	6:23	6:26
9	12.1	6:23	6:26
10	12.1	6:23	6:26
11	12.1	6:23	6:26
12	12.1	6:23	6:26
13	12.1	6:23	6:26
14	12.1	6:23	6:26
15	12.1	6:23	6:26
16	12.1	6:23	6:26
17	12.1	6:23	6:26
18	12.1	6:23	6:26
19	12.1	6:23	6:26
20	12.1	6:23	6:26
21	12.1	6:23	6:26
22	12.1	6:23	6:27
23	12.1	6:23	6:27
24	12.1	6:23	6:27
25	12.1	6:23	6:27
26	12.1	6:23	6:27
27	12.1	6:23	6:27
28	12.1	6:23	6:27
29	12.1	6:23	6:27
30	12.1	6:23	6:27
31	12.1	6:23	6:28

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in September across the year — May's 5.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.8	Bright
2	5.8	Bright
3	5.8	Bright
4	5.8	Bright
5	5.8	Bright
6	5.8	Bright
7	5.8	Bright
8	5.8	Bright
9	5.8	Bright
10	5.8	Bright
11	5.8	Bright
12	5.8	Bright
13	5.8	Bright
14	5.8	Bright
15	5.8	Bright
16	5.8	Bright
17	5.8	Bright
18	5.8	Bright
19	5.8	Bright
20	5.8	Bright
21	5.8	Bright
22	5.8	Bright
23	5.8	Bright
24	5.8	Bright
25	5.8	Bright
26	5.8	Bright
27	5.8	Bright
28	5.8	Bright
29	5.8	Bright
30	5.8	Bright
31	5.7	Bright

Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Tarawa?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.8

Sightseeing

10th-best month of the year

5.4

Beach & pool

10th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Tarawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tarawa in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Tarawa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tarawa in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in July at about 29°C and coldest in February near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	29	28	28	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29
Comfort	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	29	Tropical
Feb	28	Tropical
Mar	28	Tropical
Apr	29	Tropical
May	29	Tropical
Jun	29	Tropical
Jul	29	Tropical
Aug	29	Tropical
Sep	29	Tropical
Oct	29	Tropical
Nov	29	Tropical
Dec	29	Tropical

UV index in Tarawa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tarawa peaks around March 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 12 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	14	16	16	15	14	12	12	13	14	14	13	12
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	14	Extreme
Feb	16	Extreme
Mar	16	Extreme
Apr	15	Extreme
May	14	Extreme
Jun	12	Extreme
Jul	12	Extreme
Aug	13	Extreme
Sep	14	Extreme
Oct	14	Extreme
Nov	13	Extreme
Dec	12	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Tarawa?

Tarawa sits at 1.3°N, 173.0°E, 6 m above sea level, in Kiribati. The nearest listed city is Dalap-Uliga-Dorrit, 664 km away.

Topography around Tarawa

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Tarawa.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m.

The land around Tarawa is covered by water (98%) within 3 km, water (99%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km

9 m

water 98%

16 km

12 m

water 99%

80 km

16 m

water 100%

grasslandartificial surfaceswater

← April Tarawa year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May weather nearby: Dalap-Uliga-Dorrit 664 km · Majuro 665 km · Yaren 705 km · Funafuti 1,294 km · Palikir 1,756 km · Malango 1,865 km · Panatina 1,870 km · Vura 1,872 km

Kiribati travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 1; Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs: Type I; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 65% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $2,559; 2025
Safe drinking water: 15%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 7.1; per 100k, 2012
Road deaths: 1.9; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Lower middle; World Bank
Religion

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Tarawa (1.3278°, 172.977°, elevation 6 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	26
2	28	26
3	28	26
4	28	26
5	28	26
6	28	26
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	27
25	28	27
26	28	27
27	28	27
28	28	27
29	28	27
30	28	27
31	28	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	49	51
2	50	50
3	51	49
4	51	49
5	51	49
6	52	48
7	52	48
8	52	48
9	52	48
10	52	48
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	53	47
16	54	46
17	54	46
18	53	47
19	54	46
20	54	46
21	54	46
22	55	45
23	55	45
24	56	44
25	56	44
26	57	43
27	58	42
28	58	42
29	59	41
30	60	40
31	60	40

	Rain chance (%)
1	74
2	73
3	72
4	72
5	71
6	70
7	69
8	68
9	67
10	66
11	65
12	64
13	64
14	63
15	63
16	63
17	62
18	62
19	62
20	62
21	61
22	61
23	61
24	61
25	61
26	60
27	60
28	60
29	60
30	60
31	59

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	32	68
5	32	68
6	33	67
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	36	64
10	37	63
11	38	62
12	40	60
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	43	57
16	44	56
17	45	55
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	48	52
22	49	51
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	51	49
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	52	48

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	26
2	28	26
3	28	26
4	28	26
5	28	26
6	28	26
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	27
25	28	27
26	28	27
27	28	27
28	28	27
29	28	27
30	28	27
31	28	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	49	51
2	50	50
3	51	49
4	51	49
5	51	49
6	52	48
7	52	48
8	52	48
9	52	48
10	52	48
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	53	47
16	54	46
17	54	46
18	53	47
19	54	46
20	54	46
21	54	46
22	55	45
23	55	45
24	56	44
25	56	44
26	57	43
27	58	42
28	58	42
29	59	41
30	60	40
31	60	40

	Rain chance (%)
1	74
2	73
3	72
4	72
5	71
6	70
7	69
8	68
9	67
10	66
11	65
12	64
13	64
14	63
15	63
16	63
17	62
18	62
19	62
20	62
21	61
22	61
23	61
24	61
25	61
26	60
27	60
28	60
29	60
30	60
31	59

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	32	68
5	32	68
6	33	67
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	36	64
10	37	63
11	38	62
12	40	60
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	43	57
16	44	56
17	45	55
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	48	52
22	49	51
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	51	49
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	52	48

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	28	26
2	28	26
3	28	26
4	28	26
5	28	26
6	28	26
7	28	27
8	28	27
9	28	27
10	28	27
11	28	27
12	28	27
13	28	27
14	28	27
15	28	27
16	28	27
17	28	27
18	28	27
19	28	27
20	28	27
21	28	27
22	28	27
23	28	27
24	28	27
25	28	27
26	28	27
27	28	27
28	28	27
29	28	27
30	28	27
31	28	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	49	51
2	50	50
3	51	49
4	51	49
5	51	49
6	52	48
7	52	48
8	52	48
9	52	48
10	52	48
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	53	47
16	54	46
17	54	46
18	53	47
19	54	46
20	54	46
21	54	46
22	55	45
23	55	45
24	56	44
25	56	44
26	57	43
27	58	42
28	58	42
29	59	41
30	60	40
31	60	40

	Rain chance (%)
1	74
2	73
3	72
4	72
5	71
6	70
7	69
8	68
9	67
10	66
11	65
12	64
13	64
14	63
15	63
16	63
17	62
18	62
19	62
20	62
21	61
22	61
23	61
24	61
25	61
26	60
27	60
28	60
29	60
30	60
31	59

	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	32	68
5	32	68
6	33	67
7	34	66
8	35	65
9	36	64
10	37	63
11	38	62
12	40	60
13	41	59
14	42	58
15	43	57
16	44	56
17	45	55
18	46	54
19	47	53
20	47	53
21	48	52
22	49	51
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	51	49
26	51	49
27	51	49
28	51	49
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	52	48